Citadels
by LordArrogantXVII
Summary: On what should've been a routine mission, Team Eight happens upon Tayuya, a former enemy of theirs from three years ago. Tayuya, badly scarred both physically and emotionally, forms a deep bond with the whole team, though especially Hinata. As Tayuya tries to help Hinata show her feelings for Naruto, Tayuya develops feelings of her own for Hinata.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Not Quite Dead

Tayuya's legs hurt. Badly. She vaguely remembered a tree falling on them thanks to a blonde girl with a stupid haircut coming in to save that damned rat Tayuya had been fighting, the cheating bitch. Was she still under the tree? She couldn't tell. Her legs hurt, but it didn't feel like any weight was on them. Her eyes were closed and, strangely, wouldn't open. However, she realized she was hearing voices around her. She tried to focus on those and not the immense pain in her legs.

"How she still alive?" asked one of the voices, gruff, scratchy, and rather simple.

"She almost wasn't," the other voice, far more melodic and higher-pitched though still masculine, replied. "If we were even thirty seconds later, it's likely the girl would be dead."

"But she ain't," said the gruff one again. "Her legs is broked, though."

"Yes, and not healing them is deliberate. It wouldn't do if she were to run away before we can sell her. A young girl this pretty should fetch a decent price."

"But if she gots broked legs..."

"I can heal them, Itsuki. I'll do so before we sell her."

 _You fuckers aren't gonna sell me!_ , Tayuya tried to say, though she found herself emitting a muffled sound, her mouth unable to open. It was then that she felt the cloth covering her head and the ropes binding her arms in front of her.

"Aha! I think she's waking up, Itsuki. Good. Throw her in the cart." Tayuya felt herself rise from the ground, fly briefly through the air, and crash hard onto something wooden. She let out a muffled scream of pain, tears welling in her eyes as her legs bent oddly against the wooden walls of the cart.

"I didn't mean literally throw her."

"Oops. Sorry."

Tayuya's consciousness faded again.

When Tayuya awoke, she was sitting on the floor of a small, dirty room. There was a bucket in the opposite corner to Tayuya and a tattered sheet on the floor next to her corner, but nothing else. She was wearing only a ragged shirt, one far too large for her that covered down to her mid-thighs. Her legs were no longer broken, though her arms were still bound in front of her, and she had a cloth tied over her mouth as a gag. There were no real windows, just three small slits in the wall from which light filtered in. It must have been about noon. The door to the room was iron, with a small opening near the floor and a second at about eye-level. Peering at her from the second opening was a pair of eyes, bright blue and framed by glasses. " _Kabu...to...?"_ she managed.

"What's this about a helmet?" the eyes asked, the same voice that had talked about selling her. "Did you lose a helmet or something? Well, if you did, it doesn't matter. Whoever you were in life before this, from today on, you're nobody. Understand?"

Tayuya would've liked to have told him in vivid detail how he could go fuck himself, but the gag made that impossible. She managed to lift her arms in front of her and flip him off, though.

The man laughed. "Oh, you do have some spirit! Maybe Itsuki and I will have to break you in before we can sell you. Or maybe someone will prefer a slave with an attitude problem, who knows?" With that, he slammed the peephole shut, leaving Tayuya alone in her prison.

With the man gone, Tayuya immediately began analyzing the situation to its fullest. She was bound, gagged, and locked in a small cell with no equipment save a shirt, a sheet, and a bucket. Her captors included a presumably-strong man named Itsuki and this unnamed medical ninja. Their plan was to sell her as a slave. She had no assets save her training, and even that was of minimal use without her flute. In addition, she knew next-to-nothing about her captors, though they seemed to know the same about her. She could use that to her advantage, though not immediately. She would have to further asses her captors and whereabouts in order to escape, though she assumed it would be difficult, given the nature of her cell. The bindings on her arms were nothing; with the Escape Jutsu, she could be out of those in seconds, though she figured it was best to avoid using it until the time came to actually escape. With her minimal assets, tunneling through would be near-impossible.

Tayuya let out a short sigh. Nothing about this situation looked good at all.

After a few moments of thought, she heard the medic-nin's voice from the other side of the door. "No, Itsuki, we're not going to feed her. She's only going to be in here for a day at the most."

"But if we don't feed her, she'll be hungry!"

"That's not our concern. We have a buyer seeking specifically girls of her age. When I mentioned her looks, he got a bit more interested. Heh heh. He's on his way here now."

 _Shit. They already have a buyer?!_ Tayuya would have to accelerate her plans, though what could she possibly do?

"Still don't feel right-like," Itsuki muttered.

"Itsuki. We're criminals and slavers. What we do now isn't 'right-like,' but it's necessary. We're not welcome anywhere else."

The voices moved out of earshot before Tayuya could hear any more. So, her situation was even more hopeless. Her one opportunity was to use the Escape Jutsu, cover herself with the sheet, and wait for them to come back to get her for the sale. She'd fight her way out then. Tayuya concentrated her chakra into her bound arms, or tried to. Her head began to buzz as soon as she attempted to charge her chakra, and she felt an odd sting on her shoulder. Tayuya glanced down and saw a sealing pattern, of the type used to lock out chakra use. So her captors knew she was a ninja. _Shit._ Tayuya felt a wave of exhaustion hit her, likely from the seal and her exertion. She fainted, and was unconscious before her head hit the ground.

"... can see, she's quite pretty," came the medic-nin's voice, rousing Tayuya from her fainting spell. "Red hair is rather sought-after, is it not?" Tayuya was lying on her back on some kind of table, her hands bound to the corners and her legs bound to the opposite ones. She was naked, blindfolded, and gagged.

"Is she a virgin?" came the reply from what she assumed was the buyer. His voice sounded old and decrepit, the voice one would assume a corpse would have if it could talk.

"It's difficult to tell. We didn't use her though," the medic-nin assured the buyer.

"Is she a ninja...?"

"Yes, presumably. She possessed a number of ninja tools, as well as an odd seal on the back of her neck. We sealed her chakra anyway."

"I see. Very well. The agreed price was two million ryo, yes?"

"Uh... I believe so."

Tayuya heard two swift hissing noises, followed by two dull thuds.

"Fools," the buyer chuckled. "No slave is ever worth that much."

Tayuya felt the bindings on her left leg untie, followed by her right. Thinking quickly, Tayuya decided to attack this old buyer as soon as he made it to her arms.

"Hm... but perhaps I had better sample the merchandise first...?" he mused to himself. Tayuya felt a wrinkled hand run down her side. "Yes... a sample before I take her home." He tied her legs back onto the table as disgust and fear welled within Tayuya...

When the old man was done, Tayuya was trembling, crying from pain, despair, and fear. She was still bound, gagged and blindfolded.

"Oho, what's this?" mumbled the old man. "This table is on wheels, is it? Hm. Perhaps I won't have to untie you after all, pretty one... What's this? Are you crying? Keh heh heh heh. Don't cry, love. I'm not going to hurt you. Oh, no. I don't hurt the pretty ones." Tayuya felt the table she was on move forward slowly. "No, I like the pretty ones to last a good, long while..."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: New Faces

TWO AND A HALF YEARS LATER

A faint glimmer of sunlight peeked through the trees surrounding Hinata, Shino, and Kiba as they made their way through the forest that surrounded their home village, Konoha. The trio was walking, rather than running or leaping through the canopy, which was a nice change of pace for Hinata, since it allowed her to take in the beauty of the forest, rather than focus on their mission. Today's mission was an easy one. A client in the village stopped by his summer home to find it wasn't empty. He wanted a ninja team to investigate and clear out the building, if need be. It was a D-rank mission, but Hinata's team had only JUST made Chunin. Besides, Hinata was glad to have a quiet job. It allowed her mind to wander to Naruto, who would be home by the end of the week.

A million emotions swirled inside Hinata. She had strong feelings for Naruto, the "Noble Loser" of Konoha, but it had been over two years since she'd seen him. How much had he changed? How much had _she?_ She knew he liked bold girls, like Sakura, and so had tried to change herself to be more like that, but how much had she succeeded? And would he like it?

Shino's raised hand put an end to her thoughts. "Is something wrong, Shino-kun?"

"No," Shino replied, his voice in its characteristic monotone, "but I think I found the house we were to investigate. Where is it? About a hundred feet northwest. See it?"

Hinata focused her chakra into her eyes, enabling her all-seeing Byakugan to activate. She did, in fact, see the house... as well as anything else within ten kilometers. Competing for her attention was a deer feeding about a kilometer away, several birds, Kiba's finger deeply entrenched within his own nose, and...

"I see it, Shino-kun. It... it looks like there are two people inside. One is... ah... one looks kinda old, but has a lot of chakra... the other one is a girl, and I think she's tied up..."

Shino furrowed his brow and likely frowned, though Hinata couldn't tell. "Two, hm? And one potentially a captive..."

"If she's a captive, we need to save her!" Kiba shouted, taking a step towards Shino. "Who knows? Maybe she'll reward us with a kiss if we do!" He grinned, and his dog, Akamaru, let out a short whine. "Maybe even you too, Akamaru," Kiba said, petting his dog. Akamaru barked happily.

"While I agree if she's a captive we should save her, I also believe we should be cautious. Why, you ask? Because we don't know who either of them are. Hinata says the geezer has a lot of chakra. That could be troublesome..." Shino folded his arms.

Kiba let out a groan. "Don't be like that boring Shikamaru! We gotta help her!"

"U-um, I agree with Kiba, a little. W-we are Chunin, so this shouldn't be too difficult, right?" Hinata chimed in. She deactivated her Byakugan. Looking at the girl in that house was making her sad.

Shino sighed. "Very well. But stay close to me, and follow my..." the words were barely out of his mouth when Kiba bolted off towards the house. "... lead. Damn, he's fast. Well, we'd better go back him up." Shino walked at a modest pace towards Kiba. Insects swarmed in and out of his coat, and a small stream of them flew from the hem towards the building. Hinata had had to fight off the urge to vomit when she first saw Shino's techniques, but after years of working alongside him, she had grown accustomed to Shino's particular style.

Hinata and Shino had reached about twenty feet behind Kiba when he did something entirely unexpected: he raised his right arm and knocked at the door. Shino and Hinata exchanged worried looks (presumably for Shino, his coat and glasses made it hard to tell) and bolted the last few feet to their companion. The door opened, and peeking out at the trio was a wrinkled, decrepit, sagging old face, giving off a somewhat unsettling smile. "Ye-e-es?" the old man greeted them.

Kiba opened his mouth to speak and Shino shoved right past him, facing the old man. "Greetings. We are a team of ninja from Konoha. We were tasked with investigating this building. Why? Because it is supposed to be abandoned. May we step in?"

The old man gave Shino a cursory glance. His stare was locked at Hinata. She squirmed a bit. "Sure, make yourselves at home!" the old man said, opening the door fully. He was only a little taller than Hinata, shorter than both Kiba and Shino. His skin was pale, eyes a dull brown. He had no hair to speak of, and his skin was the texture of crumpled leather. He kept his stare on Hinata.

The house was rather tidy for an abandoned building. There was no dust anywhere. It was a small building, though, with a living room and kitchen in the same room, and a single door visible from the entryway. The furnishing was light, only a couch and kitchen essentials. "Shall I fix you all some tea?" the old man asked.

"No, thank you," Shino replied. "Though would you mind answering a few questions?"

"Not at all."

"Very well. First, what is your business here?"

"I am a traveler. I was looking for a place to rest when I happened upon this lovely little cottage. I decided to rest here until the old bones were ready to travel again."

"I see. Second, are you here alone?"

"Yes, of course I am."

"Bullshit!" Kiba cut in. Shino raised a hand to silence him.

"I ask again. Are you here alone?"

"I told you I am."

"I see." As soon as Shino finished speaking, the door across from the entry way fell to the floor with a loud clatter, revealing a bound, naked redhead trembling in the room it hid. "Then who, may I ask, is this?"

"Heh. Crafty little brat, aren't you? Fine. I'll just have to kill you. Well... two of you..." His eyes returned to Hinata, and he licked his lips. Hinata shivered.

"I see. You are free to try, if you like." Shino folded his arms. Kiba and Akamaru adopted their typical battle stance, i.e. standing near each other, with Kiba hunched over. Hinata entered a fighting stance of her own, her right hand extended in front of her, and her left held back by her shoulder.

"Cocky as well as crafty. Heh! Well, I'll have you know my lightning style is unbeatable! With my speed, you won't be able to keep up!" The old man dropped to a crouch... and his limbs exploded off of him in a flash of lightning and a scream.

Shino studied the now-limbless and shrieking old man. "Ah, I see. I had not anticipated this result." He calmly approached the man, allowing his arms to drop once more as his insects swarmed from the severed limbs into Shino's sleeves. "I had my insects swarm your body and begin to leech chakra, though I hadn't expected such an explosion. You must be in a lot of pain right now, aren't you?" Shino knelt, facing the old man. "How pitiful." He stood and turned toward Hinata. "Hinata, please gather up our friend there. Wrap her in a blanket or something for modesty." Hinata, shocked at the explosion and a little deafened from the noise, could only nod meekly and scurry towards the girl. She caught a glimpse of Akamaru approaching the old man and lifting his leg out of the corner of her eye as she moved away.

Now that she got a good look at the girl, Hinata noticed two things. The first was that this girl was quite pretty. Her hair was a pinkish-red, sort of like Sakura's hair, though a bit darker and much longer than Sakura's was now, and her eyes were the color of chocolate. Her body was slender, though not without curves, especially (Hinata noted with a slight blush) around her hips and chest. The second thing Hinata noticed were the bruises and cuts along the girl's arms, and only her arms, as though whoever hurt her deliberately avoided anything else. Hinata knelt in front of her. "Are you okay? My name is Hinata. The one in the coat is Shino-kun, the one in leather is Kiba-kun, and the dog is Akamaru. May I ask your name?"

The girl looked straight into Hinata's eyes with a very intense stare. Hinata glanced away briefly. "You said the dog's Akamaru, right? Which one's that? They all look alike to me. Name's Tayuya, and I need a goddamn shower."

* * *

Tayuya, freshly showered and wearing a set of men's clothes that were far too large for her, walked beside her weird rescue party: Dog, Dogboy, Bugman, and Hinata. She was certain she knew Dogboy from somewhere, but wasn't sure where, and it was starting to piss her off. She knew she should probably be moping about her time with Old Bastard, but Tayuya was far too tired for that, and besides, he'd exploded. That was goddamn hilarious, not to mention cathartic after... however long she'd spent with him. She'd lost track too long ago to bother trying to remember.

"Something has occurred to me. What is it, you ask? ...What are we going to do with Tayuya here? We didn't have much of a plan when we rescued her." Bugman turned towards Dogboy and... might have glared. His glasses made it really hard to tell.

Dogboy, for his part, looked rather annoyed. "Look, I was thinking we'd be rescuing some beautiful princess, not a loudmouthed, foul-mouthed girl that... I think I know from somewhere."

"Fuck you too, buddy," Tayuya responded cheerfully. "Sorry I'm not some helpless little bitch in distress. I used to be a ninja, ya dumb bastard."

Hinata was fidgeting, poking her index fingers together. All told, she was pretty cute, Tayuya mused. Maybe if not for her weird eyes, she'd be cuter. "I-If you say you used to be a ninja, Tayuya-san, what happened to make you not one?"

"I'm out of practice, duh. Been stuck with the dead geezer. For some reason, he didn't let his pretty little slave train in ways to kick his ass." Hinata flinched. Tayuya felt a pang of regret. She reminded herself to go easy on the cute one from now on.

Bugman shook his head. "Despite all this, we still have no idea what to do with her. Perhaps Lady Hokage will have an idea, but until then, we cannot be sure we can trust her."

Tayuya glared. "And I'm not so damn sure I can trust you. Last time people I didn't know 'saved' me, I got sold to that old fuck."

"B-But we would never do that, r-right, Shino-kun?" Hinata cut in.

"No, we wouldn't. Why? Because we are not monsters. But we cannot be sure that you aren't one of Orochimaru's spies. Or Akatsuki's."

Tayuya let out a short chuckle. "Orochimaru-sama? I think he thinks I'm dead, otherwise he'd have tried to save me. I... I think."

The trio stopped and stared at her. Dogboy scowled. "Wait, I do remember you! You're one of the Sound ninja that kidnapped the Uchiha kid like three years ago!" He crouched low, and his dog made its way in front of him.

"Uchiha went with us willingly, idiot. And if you haven't noticed, I'm not in any position to fight you. If you want to kill a defenseless girl, be my guest, but I can't say it'll reflect well on your pacifist village." Tayuya couldn't stop herself from grinning.

"Kiba, stand down," Bugman spoke up. "She may or may not still be an enemy, but fighting here will prove nothing. Let Lady Hokage determine that."

"Grr..." Dogboy glared a moment longer before relaxing, if only a little. "Easy for you to say! I almost died trying to get that ungrateful bastard back!"

Bugman glared, for certain this time, at Dogboy and folded his arms. "I'm certain circumstances would have been very different had I gone."

"Shino-kun..." Hinata put a hand on his sholder. "There is no need to be upset, that mission was over two years ago."

"Two years, five months, and six days," Bugman grumbled. So _that_ was how long she'd been with Old Fart.

"... Yes. That. Even so, you don't need to get upset with Kiba-kun. It wasn't his choice to not include you," Hinata reassured him.

"Correct. It was Shikamaru's tactical blunder that left me behind..." Bugman seemed to have a sore spot for that particular event, Tayuya realized. He said things would've been different if he'd been there, and, after seeing the old man explode, she realized she didn't doubt him. This guy was dangerous.

"Look... Bugman. Dogboy. Hinata. I'm not your enemy right now, okay? I'm pissed at Orochimaru for leaving me for dead, so he and me ain't exactly on good terms, right? Not to mention, my whole squad's probably gone too, right? So for now, I guess I'm your ally. Is that okay with you high-and-mighty Leaf types?" She'd put a bit more venom into her voice than she wanted, she realized.

Bugman folded his arms. "It suits me well enough. I believe your story for the most part, it just pays to be certain."

Dogboy gave her a glare. "I don't trust her... but I don't have much of a choice."

"I-I think she'll be okay," Hinata squeaked. "Sh-she seems n-nice enough, and I feel bad for her, if what it looked like was true."

"Excellent. I've got paranoia of two flavors and pity going for me. This is gonna be damn swell," Tayuya said, sighing and shaking her head. "Let's just get to your fucking village before-"

Bugman raised a hand to silence her. Dogboy's nose twitched. Veins around Hinata's eyes pulsed. "Do you hear that?" asked Bugman. Tayuya focused. Sure enough, she heard the snapping of twigs and rustling of leaves coming from somewhere above them, the telltale sounds of ninja movement. Goody.

"Hinata, stay near me and keep those eyes active. Kiba, Akamaru, cover our blind spot. Tayuya... make yourself useful somehow." Bugman tossed her a kunai. It felt oddly heavy in her out-of-practice hands. The trio-and-dog adopted a formation, with Dogboy and Dog facing away from Bugman and Hinata.

"Above us! Circling around! I-I count... four. All with... um... Mist headbands, I think."

 _Damn, those are some good eyes!_ Tayuya thought, inching toward the formation uneasily and trying to find a spot in it.

"Those're some good eyes, girl!" one of the ninjas above them called out as he and three others dropped to the ground. _Took my line, ya damn bastard._

"Now, don't move. We're gonna capture ya nice and easy." One of the other ninjas approached, wearing the headband of Kiri, with its distinctive four-squiggly-line pattern. "Akatsuki's got a nice bounty on Konoha brats."

Akatsuki, there was that word again. Should it mean something to her? Tayuya had no idea. What she did know was that these guys were about one-to-one on par with this little ragtag bunch, which didn't make much sense to her. Most of these ninja hunter types used numbers to their advantage. Unless they assumed that they would have an easier time against this group because, she realized, none of them wore any sort of distinctive Chunin or higher garb. It could be that the Mist thought they'd ambushed a quartet of useless-ass Genin. Tayuya had to smirk at that. She'd been a Jonin in Sound village. Even without her flute, or practice, she could still weave a Genjutsu. If...

"Hey, Bugman. There's a chakra seal on my neck. Think you can-?"

"Taken care of. My beetles consumed that before they even landed."

Damn but he did work fast! Tayuya's smile widened. She focused and sure enough felt the familiar warmth of chakra flowing throughout her. With a devious grin, she set about making hand signs for one of her favorite genjutsu, one that made people think their skin was melting off. A bit brutal and gross, sure, but _she_ didn't have to look at it.

Dogboy and Dog leaped into action, rushing two different members of the attacking party. Dogboy's target threw a pair of kunai to defend himself. For all they did, he may as well have thrown flowers: Dogboy snatched one of them out of the air and drove it into his target's arm, easily avoiding the other one. The Kiri ninja let out a cry of pain and moved to throw a punch, but Dogboy was a step ahead. He drove his shoulder into the attacker's chest, pushing the Kiri-nin to the ground. Dogboy let out a short growl and pounced on him, throwing repeated claws to the face and chest. The dog, meanwhile, pinned its target down and snapped forward repeatedly with its jaw, forcing its target to move his head from side to side, lest he have his nose bitten off by the dog.

Bugman and Hinata stayed side-by-side. Hinata would point at areas on their target's body, and a swarm of beetles would fly from Bugman onto that area, latching on and ripping through the skin. Tayuya could see chakra mixed in with the blood. It seemed the two of them were focused on removing the chakra from their target, preventing him from using any jutsu to fight back.

The fourth crept around towards Hinata, his kunai raised to strike. Tayuya concentrated on him. He lowered the kunai to his side and stared forward with a dumb expression on his face. He'd fallen victim to Tayuya's illusion. Only God knew what the man interpreted it as, but Tayuya had made this one specifically to show melty flesh.

With her target subdued, Tayuya turned her attention towards the other three. The one being eaten alive by beetles was no threat. Dogboy seemed to have the upper hand against his target. The dog, however, had yet to gain any ground against its foe. Tayuya approached the two and waited for the man to dodge the beast's strike, putting his head near her foot. She stomped, HARD, on the man's skull. He let out a cry of pain, and the dog dug its teeth into his neck and shoulder. Satisfied, Tayuya walked to the man trapped in her illusion. Calmly and methodically, she slit his throat with her kunai. By the time she finished with that, Bugman's target was little more than a bloody heap on the ground, Dogboy's was lying motionless and covered in red, and the dog's had a chunk torn out of his shoulder. It had taken less than thirty seconds for the four of them to be efficiently put down.

"Damn, you guys are good!" Tayuya said, whistling. "Even at our best, the Sound Four couldn't have beaten these guys so quickly."

"We do not fail," Bugman replied, probably with a triumphant smirk.

"You helped a lot too, Tayuya-san!" Hinata said energetically. "That Genjutsu was perfectly-timed!"

Tayuya blushed slightly. The praise felt... welcome. "It... wasn't that good. I'm out of practice."

Hinata only smiled at her.

* * *

Evening had fallen sooner than Tayuya had expected. She and her odd rescuers made something of a campsite, building a crude fire pit and setting up sleeping bags. As Hinata, Dogboy and Bugman sat around the fire, chatting away about an old mission, Tayuya sat alone. With the adrenaline of the day worn out and her own exhaustion and comprehension of what, exactly, she'd been through for the past two-and-a-half years combined to wear her down. Tayuya sat, hugging her knees and fighting back tears, only partially-successfully. She didn't want to cry, not in front of these three stooges, but she couldn't hold it off any longer.

She felt a gentle hand touch her shoulder. She turned. Hinata was sitting beside her, one hand on Tayuya's sholder. Hinata smiled at her. "Aren't you going to sit with us?" Hinata asked. "It must be lonely over here."

"I'm... I'm fine," Tayuya replied, hastily looking away. "It's more comfortable over here."

"Okay." Hinata moved her arm away. Tayuya could still hear her breathing beside her.

"Aren't _you_ gonna go sit with your friends?"

"No, I think I'm going to sit here with you for right now. I don't like the thought of you being lonely."

Tayuya felt tears welling in her eyes. "Wha... why do you care so much about me? We just met."

"True, but I just don't like seeing people sit alone. Especially when they look as sad as you do."

Tayuya didn't reply. She sobbed into her knees, crying from exhaustion, from sadness, from pain, from joy, from everything. She felt Hinata's hand on her back, tenderly sliding up and down.

"I'm amazed you didn't do this sooner," Hinata said, patting her back. "It must have been very hard for you."

"... I don't want to talk about it."

"I won't force you to." Hinata put her arm around Tayuya's shoulder, and the two sat there in silence.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Just to make a few things clear, I plan on this fic (sort-of) covering the entire Shippuden series. I'll be starting a second, interconnected fanfic either later this week or next week that's more focused on the darker aspects of the story, featuring Sasuke as the protagonist (though he's not exactly a hero). Eventually, the two will merge together into one, but that's a long way off.

 **Chapter Three: The Leaf Village**

It took only an hour after picking up their camp for Tayuya and her rescuers to return to the village.

"Why the flying fuckcicle would we bother to make camp if we were that goddamn close?!" Tayuya, her temper awakened with renewed vigor, shout-asked at her rescue party.

"Ordinarily I would be inclined to agree with you. Why don't I? Simply because Kiba and Hinata seem to like camping." Bugman folded his arms petulantly. "And my voice is one of three."

"And far from the loudest!" Dogboy was sitting atop his dog like some kind of mockery of a cavalier, outpacing the other three ever so slightly.

"For once we agree..." Bugman muttered as the quartet approached the gate.

"Welcome back, team 8," called a masked ninja at the village gate. ANBU black-ops by the look of him, Tayuya figured. By a technicality, she was ANBU as well, though Orochimaru's hastily-put-together "village" didn't have much of a ranking system. All she knew was that her abilities were Jonin-level, but she wasn't a Jonin. "And... who is the extra?" His voice lost his friendly quality as he studied Tayuya. She was wearing her much-too-large outfit stolen from whoever owned that summer home, no badge of office or any other sign she was a ninja, which she supposed was a good thing. It'd make it easier for them to pass her off as a civilian.

"Her name's Tayuya, and she's a former Hidden Sound ninja!" Dogboy shouted proudly. Tayuya blinked twice. Was it truly possible to be this stupid?!

Bugman rubbed his temples, letting out a soft sigh. Hinata stifled a giggle. "It is as he said," Bugman cut in. "Tayuya is a _former_ Sound ninja. Is that important? No. She has been a captive for the past two years. She is no threat."

"Be that as it may, as even a former member of Orochimaru's village, she needs to be interrogated. Any information she has could lead to the whereabouts of Sasuke Uchiha. I'm sure I need not remind you how dangerous Sasuke is as a rogue ninja."

"Interrogated? And just what the fuck would that entail?" Tayuya glared at the ANBU. "Cause let me tell you, if it's torture, you pansy-asses will never get a damn thing from me!"

"Torture? No, no torture. Only if you don't cooperate." There was a hint of a challenge in the ANBU's voice. _Come on, girl,_ it seemed to say, _fight back._

"... I'll cooperate then, if you shitheads promise to make this quick." Tayuya was stubborn, not stupid. And torture seemed like a bad idea no matter how you approached it.

"Ibiki is going to love that attitude of yours. Keep it up, see what happens." There was a malicious smile behind that mask, Tayuya could just smell it.

"Heh. I ain't afraid of your boyfriend, you cocksucking shitclown." The words escaped before she could stop herself. Bugman was pressing his face into his hand. Dogboy was shaking his head. Hinata was blushing and covering her mouth with her hands. Clearly, Tayuya's language had offended Hinata's delicate and ladylike sensibilities.

The ANBU shook his head. "Ibiki might end up killing you at this rate. Team 8, please escort her to Ibiki Morino's headquarters. And you might want to write a eulogy, if her attitude with Ibiki's anything like it is with mine."

"Dickweasel," Tayuya muttered as she and the other three brushed past the ANBU. He just shook his head.

The quartet made it to this Ibiki's headquarters in no time at all. The building was nondescript, with no distinct markings or anything on it. Most people would've simply walked past it without a second thought. Hence, Tayuya knew exactly what it was. It was as obvious to her as slapping "Torture Chamber/Public Restroom (no soliciting)" in bright neon letters on the walls.

"This is the place," Bugman said. "Please, make me a promise. What is it? Don't get yourself killed. It would make my record look bad."

Hinata hugged Tayuya. "Please, just don't insult Morino-sama. He's not as nice as we are."

It took Tayuya a minute to process the hug. Hinata smelled nice, and her chest was pressing against Tayuya's, distracting her. "Uh... No promises. It just kinda happens." Tayuya returned the hug.

Dogboy smiled at her in an amused and mocking way. "Yeah. Wouldn't want you to worry Hinata, would we?"

"Go fuck yourself with a mallet," Tayuya replied cheerily as she walked past him into the building. There was a receptionist, a brown-haired young man who looked supremely bored with everything. He had... something in his mouth, probably some kind of plant, though Tayuya couldn't really tell. "Sup, gaylord?"

The man smiled at the greeting. "Here to see Ibiki? I had an ANBU drop by and tell me about a foulmouthed redhead from Sound. Is that you?"

"In the motherfucking flesh." Tayuya grinned. She couldn't help herself.

"He's three doors down the hallway to my right. My right, your left. I gotta recommend you drop the attitude though. I find it hilarious, but I doubt Ibiki would like it."

"We'll see. I ain't too worried about what you limp-dicked Leaf ninja are gonna do to me. I always heard Leaf was fulla pacifists."

"Pacifists? Eh, kinda. Our previous Hokage was a pacifist. But we're still a ninja village, and no one knows that better than Ibiki. So, to put it in terms you understand, fuck with him at your own risk."

"I still ain't afraid of him." Tayuya moved to the hall to her left, walked down three doors, and pushed the door open. Sitting in a chair in the center of the room was the ugliest motherfucker Tayuya had ever seen, at least since Jirobo died. He was covered in scars, and his scarred face made him look old. He had a vague hint of a smile on his face.

"Greetings. I'm Ibiki Morino, chief interrogation officer for the Hidden Leaf Village. You are Tayuya, correct?" His voice annoyed Tayuya for reasons she couldn't quite place.

"Save me the 'softspoken sadist' bullshit. You know why I'm here, you know who I am, and you gotta know that I don't know shit, right?"

Ibiki smiled slightly more and leaned forward. "Oh, I know. But you know far more than you care to let on, at least about Sound Village. We've yet to locate the village, you see. And I know that you know where it is. With that knowledge, we'll be a step closer to capturing Sasuke Uchiha."

"The fuck do you want with that asshole? He wanted to leave, he's gone, fuck you. It was the same with the rest of us in Sound, so why give a shit about that one?"

"That one is the last living Uchiha. If he leaves the village, the secrets of the Uchiha clan leave with him. We cannot allow that. Furthermore, Orochimaru is a rogue from our village as well, so whatever we can find out about him would be helpful."

"I'll give you the location of the village. You ain't getting jack shit from me besides that, though."

"Oh, you poor, deluded girl. You're going to tell me everything you know. Whatever you may think you can handle, I'm a level above that." Ibiki removed his bandanna, revealing a network of scars, including a hole from a drill in his skull. There were burn marks, cuts, holes... any type of scar one could imagine.

"You some kinda masochist?" Tayuya chuckled. She was shaking, but he couldn't know that.

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you they're torture scars. I've lived through some pretty intense, violent torture. And I know you have as well." Ibiki folded his bandanna neatly in his hands. "You were, shall we say, used by an old man by the name of Isshida. For over two years. It must have hurt, the way he abused you every single day and night. It must have been very painful, both physically and mentally. My spies kept a close watch on you, Tayuya of the Sound Four. We wanted to ensure you were no threat." Ibiki looked into her eyes. "If I were to order my ANBU to carry out the same actions, you would talk within a minute. It would give me no pleasure to issue such an order, but I am more than willing to. There would be no scars, and no one would believe you. Do you understand now exactly what sort of position you are in?"

Tayuya sat, trembling, tears streaming down her face. "O-okay... I... I'll talk."

"As I expected."

* * *

Tayuya walked from the nondescript building in tears. She made every attempt to wipe them from her eyes, to look strong, but she failed. Her body was trembling with every small sob. The moment she stepped outside, the trio-and-dog that had rescued her looked up. Hinata rushed to her side, and Shino gave her a concerned look. Kiba seemed unsure how to react, but eventually settled on "worried."

"Are you okay, Tayuya-san?!" Hinata asked, reaching out to hug her. Tayuya brushed her away.

"I-I'm fine. Just... uh..." try as she might, Tayuya couldn't wrack her brain for a convincing enough lie to tell them. "Just relieved I don't have to look at that ugly bastard anymore."

Shino raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing her, but mercifully kept quiet. Hinata tried to hug her again. Tayuya let it happen this time, again taking in the small of whatever perfume Hinata was wearing. It smelled like lavender.

Dogboy, like always, couldn't keep his mouth shut. "Like hell we believe that! You came out of there in tears, so what'd he do to you?"

"He didn't do a goddamn thing to me. Just... he was a lot harsher than I expected, is all." Tayuya gently pushed Hinata away. "So... what happens now?"

Bugman furrowed his brow. "I'm uncertain. Why is that? The initial plan was to take you to Lady Tsunade to be interrogated and have your fate determined there, but it seems it would be... tactically sound to give you some time to recover from Morino's interrogation." His voice was the same monotone as ever, making his thoughts hard to read.

"I agree," Hinata chimed in. "It would be nice for the four of us to get to know Tayuya-san before we take her to Tsunade-sama. So, Tayuya-san... do you have a favorite food?" Her beaming smile was infectious.

Tayuya wiped some tears from her eyes. "Not really, no. I mean, I like to drink coffee, but favorite foods are kinda childish, aren't they?" Dogboy, Bugman, and Hinata all looked away sheepishly. "Eh- not that there's anything wrong with being a bit childish." _Damn, where'd this gentle side come from? Did that ugly bastard really fuck with my head this much?_

"Well. Ahem." Bugman was clearly trying to regain some composure. "There's something we should do first. What might that be? Getting Tayuya some clothing that isn't stolen and too large for her. I'll provide the money. Hinata, you take her shopping." Shino reached into his coat and withdrew a small leather pouch. He handed the pouch to Hinata. "Meet us by the Hokage's office when you're done."

"O-Okay! Tayuya-san and I will go shopping for new clothes for her!" Hinata brightened up, grabbing Tayuya's hand. Tayuya blushed, confused, as Hinata dragged her away to the shopping district.

After the two girls were gone, Shino shook his head. "Naruto might have some competition, huh, Shino?" Kiba chuckled.

Tayuya normally hated shopping, especially clothes shopping, but for some reason the presence of a cheerful and cute girl made it all better for her. Hinata was very helpful, pointing out outfits she thought Tayuya would like, forcing Tayuya to try on clothes rather than just look at them, and always saying Tayuya looked great in them, even if Tayuya herself though she looked like some kind of rainbow-clown. Tayuya was grateful for the company, though. She hadn't been around other girls very often, unless she counted the lipstick-wearing Sakon from her old squad. It seemed either Orochimaru or Kabuto had picked up on her romantic tendencies and kept her away from anyone she might develop an interest in. Bastards.

"How about this one, Tayuya-san?" Hinata asked, holding up a tan dress. It reminded Tayuya a bit of her old Sound Four uniform.

Tayuya snatched it from her and tried it on. It fit well enough, but it was far from comfortable. It was a bit tight around her legs. Tayuya withdrew a kunai from her pouch of tools and cut slits on either side of the dress, giving her legs some freedom. She stepped out of the dressing room in the improved tan dress. The store clerk stared incredulously at the cut fabric. "I'll take it!" Tayuya said with a grin.

After about three hours of shopping, Tayuya had finally put together a few outfits she liked. The tan dress, along with a pair of tight shorts and black arm coverings, would be her outfit for her resumed ninja training. She also had a few casual outfits, and (she thought with a tiny blush) underwear that Hinata had called "cute." Tayuya and Hinata were on their way back to meet with the other two-and-a-dog by the Hokage's office when Hinata stopped suddenly. "Tayuya-san, you said you like coffee, right?"

"Yeah, I like coffee, why?"

"There's a cafe not too far away from here. We could stop there and have some coffee before we meet the others."

"Would they mind that?" Tayuya really wanted coffee (and to spend more time with Hinata), but also worried what Bugman and Dogboy would say to them, especially Hinata, if the two were late.

"I'm sure they won't mind." Hinata smiled her bright smile again, and Tayuya couldn't help but give in.

The two girls approached the cafe. It was a nice little place, very Western-styled with tables and chairs. It looked rather fancy. The smell of coffee from within made Tayuya's mouth water with excitement. Mixed in among the coffee smell, Tayuya detected other sweets, including a vague scent of cinnamon. The two approached the counter and placed their orders. Tayuya caved to temptation and bought herself a vanilla flavored coffee with whipped cream, while Hinata only got a cinnamon roll and milk. The pair found a small table with two seats and sat down there.

"No coffee for you, huh?" Tayuya took a sip of hers, letting the warmth flow between her lips and down her throat.

"I don't really like bitter things," Hinata said, taking a bite from her cinnamon roll. "But I love the sweets here! And Sakura-san tells me the coffee is good, so I thought you might like it."

"Who the fuck is Sakura-san?" Tayuya asked, taking another sip. "I don't know a lot of people here, remember."

"O-Oh yeah. Um, Sakura-san is really nice. She was N-uh... Sasuke-kun's teammate before he left." Hinata blushed.

"Do you have a thing for Sasuke?" Tayuya asked. She forced a chuckle, but felt disappointment well in her chest.

"Eh?! Uh... n-no! Not Sasuke-kun, I have never even spoken to him, and he seems really mean." Hinata fidgeted, taking another bite from her cinnamon roll. Tayuya's disappointment vanished. "B-but I do have feelings for Sakura-san's other teammate, Naruto-kun. I've always admired him from afar, though, and I don't think he even knows I exist." And just like that the disappointment was back with a vengeance.

"Oh. I kinda think I know what that's like." Tayuya took a larger sip of coffee.

"Tayuya-san, is there someone you like already?" Hinata smiled at her. "Is he part of the village? Or part of your old village?"

Tayuya blushed despite herself. "Eh... it's no one you'd know. Besides, I don't have a chance in hell with her, so there's no point even fucking talking about it."

"You just need a little more confidence! ...is what Kiba-kun and Shino-kun keep telling me, anyway."

"I guess." Tayuya took another sip of coffee. "So... are you three the only ninja team in the village, or what?" she asked, desperate to change the subject.

"Oh, no. There's also Naruto-kun's team, but Naruto-kun is away for training, Sakura-san is working with Tsunade-sama, and Sasuke-kun... well... he left. Um... we also have Neji-niisan, Lee-kun, and Tenten-san, but they're away on a training exercise, as well as Ino-san, Shikamaru-kun, and Choji-kun. Shikamaru-kun is hosting the Chunin exams today, Ino-san is running her family's flower shop, and Choji-kun is probably at a barbecue house."

"Neji-niisan, huh? Your brother is that brown-haired asshole that killed Spiderfucker?"

"Eh- uh, no, Neji-niisan isn't my brother, he's my cousin. He's really nice! I-I think he's even a Jonin now."

"Huh. Well, whatever. Not like I cared about any of those idiots anyway." Tayuya took a final sip of her coffee. "Well, let's get back to the others. Don't wanna keep 'em waiting too long."

Hinata devoured what was left of her cinnamon roll and the two departed. Tayuya held the door open for Hinata, who walked directly into what looked like a walking bottle of orange soda with blonde hair. Hinata glanced at his face, blushed deeper red than Tayuya's hair, mumbled "N-Naruto-kun," and fainted. Tayuya caught her before she hit the ground.

"Huh? What was that all about?!" The orange idiot's voice was even more grating than Dogboy's. "Wait... Hinata-chan? And... who the hell are you?"

"First name Nunofyer, last name Fuckinbusiness." Tayuya lifted Hinata into her arms. "You must be Naruto-kun, huh? Well, pleased to fucking meet you."

"Hey, what's with this attitude?! I don't even know you! Are you and Hinata friends?"

Tayuya looked into the idiot's face, and a wicked grin spread over her lips. "Nope. Lovers." With that, she carried Hinata away from the Orange Moron.

"Wha-? HEY! WAIT!" Orange Moron chased after her. "You're dating Hinata-chan?"

"Obviously, you fucking dumbass. Why else would we be at a cafe like that together?" Tayuya couldn't help but smile. She knew her lie would last only as long as Hinata stayed asleep, but for some reason, seeing this idiot confused like this was incredibly amusing to her.

"Well, I go here with Sakura-chan all the time, and we're not dating! So you can go to places like this as friends, ya know? B-Besides, aren't you both girls?"

"And what the fuck has that got to do with it?" Genuine anger crept into her voice. "What's it fucking matter if two girls want to be together, huh?! It ain't like it's any goddamn different than a guy and a girl, right?! It's fuckers like you that make me goddamn sick."

The Orange Moron stared at her for a moment, before looking genuinely apologetic. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? It's not like things like that bother me, or anything, but I'm just not used to it, is all, ya know?" Tayuya sighed, and moved to apologize before he continued, "Though I think the Pervy Sage would like to write about you two! He sometimes writes about two girls being together in his books. You know, the 'Icha Icha' series?"

Tayuya's arm moved before her brain could formulate thoughts. In the span of a few short seconds, Orange Moron was on the ground with a handprint across his face, Hinata was slung over Tayuya's left shoulder, and Tayuya's hand hurt like a motherfucker. "I'm not gonna star in some disgusting porno books!"

Apparently, the shouting had attracted a bit of a crowd, including the Dynamic Duo of Bugman and Dogboy, along with a bunch of people Tayuya didn't recognize. Hinata, slung over Tayuya's shoulder, was beginning to wake up. Tayuya set her down gently, before turning to Bugman. "I uh. I think I should visit the Hokage now."


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I realize it's a short chapter after a week of nothing, and I'm sorry for that. This chapter was giving me issues with how to pace it, what to include, where to end it, and other things. Basically, half of the planned chapter is now part of Chapter Five, since the last few paragraphs seemed like a better stopping point. Lastly, on the topic of Deidara's reference to Sasori, in Japanese, he calls him "Sasori no Danna," which is roughly "Master Sasori." That seemed like a better translation than "Sasori, my man," and I'd rather leave as little Japanese untranslated as I can while still fitting terms that people understand in (Jinchuriki, Kazekage, honorifics, and jutsu types mainly).

* * *

 **Chapter Four: The Plan**

"Very impressive first day in the village," Lady Tsunade, the twentysomething-looking blond and absurdly busty woman who called herself Hokage said, looking Tayuya in the eye. "Insulting our gatekeeper, assaulting Naruto, causing Hinata to outright faint _twice_ , and causing enough of a scene that basically everyone knows we have an outside ninja in our village."

"Hey! I only made Hinata faint _once._ The first one was her bumping into the fucking orange soda kid." Tayuya smirked despite herself.

"Once. My mistake. Regardless, do you know how much of a headache it's going to be to cover all of this up? You're from Sound, meaning you're technically our enemy. I know Morino's already spoken to you on that regard. His report said you had outdated information, and not a lot of it. He suspects you're still holding out on him, you know. But Team Eight seems to trust you enough..."

"I told him everything I know, grandma. Excuse me for being out of the fucking loop for a couple fucking years."

"Relax, Tayuya. I believe you. The only thing I'm left questioning is what you intend to do. We can't very well let you return to Orochimaru. Even if you were to return, say, as a spy for us, we don't actually know where that snake is. But... what is your plan, now that you're free?"

Tayuya paused. She thought of the brief battle she'd had alongside Bugman, Dogboy, and Hinata, of how good the familiar rush of battle was. She admitted reluctantly that Dogboy, despite his personality quirks, was a step up from any of her previous companions, especially Jirobo. Bugman, for his part, was skilled and intelligent, if a bit creepy. And Hinata... Tayuya found her thoughts wandering to Hinata's soft skin, the way her hair smelled of flowers, her beautiful eyes, her soft voice...

"Tayuya?"

"Eh? Uh... right. Well, I was... I was kind of thinking I could stay with Team 8. They rescued me, after all. Plus, it'd be a damn easy way for you to keep an eye on me, right?"

Tsunade's eyes widened, and she leaned back in her chair slightly. "Y-you want to stay with Team 8? That's... unexpected, to say the least. I mean... I could ask Kurenai if she's willing to take on a fourth, though that's highly unusual."

"I was part of a four-person team in the past. I'm more comfortable with three other motherfuckers to work with than I am working alone." Tayuya smirked. "What's the matter, afraid I'll offend your delicate little village?"

"Hardly, though I will insist you keep your... outbursts... limited, please? More for your poor team's sake. I don't want to leave them in charge of cleaning up after your messes."

Tayuya's smirk widened to a grin. "No promises! But I can take that as a yes on staying with Team 8?"

Tsunade let out a weary sigh. "If it'll get you out of my office... sure, for now. I'll talk it over with Kurenai, Team 8's Jonin commander, before I give you a definite answer."

"Sounds like a fucking plan then." Tayuya stood and made for the door. Tsunade's only response was another sigh. Tayuya made her way out of the Hokage's office, back out into the street, where, like clockwork, she found Bugman and Dogboy waiting for her. No sign of Hinata, though.

"I trust the meeting with Tsunade-sama went well enough?" Bugman asked.

"Fuck yeah it did. She said I can stay with your team, so you guys can 'keep an eye on me' in case I'm a fucking spy." Tayuya smirked as she saw Dogboy's expression darken.

Bugman, impassive as ever, nodded. "That is sound reasoning. Why? Because it ensures that you remain with people towards whom you have goodwill. I approve."

"You approve, but I don't! She's a loudmouth! She made Hinata cry." Dogboy crossed his arms and glared.

"I did what?!" Tayuya's smile faded instantly. "When? How?"

"As I thought, she was unaware. Of what? Your words to Naruto about you and Hinata being lovers were taken at face value by Naruto, and now he's convinced they were true and Hinata is denying them for fear of being mocked."

"Shit. I gotta find her. Where is she?" Tayuya's heart raced and she fought back a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Hinata has a place she goes to when she's upset. Where is it? A park near the northern edge of the village. We can take you there, if you-" Tayuya rushed off, running at full speed away from the two. "-like. Hm. Twice in two days. I hope this isn't a trend."

* * *

Tayuya ran as fast as she could, dodging past people and other obstacles in her way. She withdrew her compass from one of her pouches, oriented herself North, and ran. When she hit a good speed, Tayuya leapt onto a smaller building, pushing chakra from her feet to get the distance she needed. She continued to run on rooftops, making a beeline for the northern edge of the village. Before too long, she spotted a lone dark-haired girl sitting on a park bench, her head buried in her hands. Tayuya jumped from the roof, slowing her fall by putting weight on the side of the building, and tumbled to her feet. She walked the last little bit of distance to where Hinata sat on the bench before sitting down beside her. Hinata looked up at Tayuya, tears streaming down her face.

"Hey," Tayuya greeted her.

"Why would you say that?" Hinata asked, offering no return greeting. "Why would you tell him something like that? Y-you knew I liked him, so why...?"

"I... well..." Tayuya looked away and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her legs. "I wanted to mess with him. I wasn't really thinking. I was just..."

"You didn't have to say that we're dating, though! I barely know you, and besides that, you're a girl too! I... I hoped we could be friends, but now, I just don't know."

Tayuya felt tears well in her eyes. "I'm... look, Hinata, I'm sorry. I didn't think what I said would matter that much."

After a moment, Hinata replied, "I... I guess it really didn't. He still barely noticed me..." She buried her face in her hands again and resumed sobbing.

Tayuya let out a short sigh. "If you want to stand out to him more, you gotta have a bit of confidence."

"Huh?" Hinata looked up at her.

"Well, I mean... I don't know the guy too well, but he seems the type that likes the more headstrong, confident girls. I... I think. I mean, hard to know that about someone when your one conversation ended with you trying to slap the stupid out of the bastard..."

Hinata let out a tiny giggle. "Naruto-kun's type is hard for me to figure out. He says he likes Sakura-san, but he doesn't act like it too much, so I don't know if he likes her type or not."

"Well, you just gotta figure his type out, and try and match it, ya know?" Tayuya smiled a little. "I can help you with that as my way of apologizing."

"D-do you think it'll work...?" Hinata began to fidget.

"Fuck yeah, it'll work. First thing I gotta do is tell that circus clown the truth, though, otherwise it might not work."

"T-true... b-but will he listen to you?"

"He'd better, or I'll just have to beat him until he does."

"Please no..."

Tayuya let out a small chuckle. "Come on, Hinata. Let's find that assclown and tell him the truth." Tayuya wiped her eyes of the tears that were creeping slowly down her cheeks. _If I can't be with her, she may as well be happy..._ Tayuya thought as she and Hinata returned to the village.

* * *

The men in black walked calmly across the desert, sand kept from their eyes by their large straw hats and high cloak collars, or, in Sasori's case, by the puppet armor shell he covered his body with. The puppet body was a bit grotesque, hunched over as it was and crawling on all fours, with the black cloak draped over it almost comically. The other of the two, Deidara, was more traditionally handsome, if androgynous, with his long blonde hair. The two walked in silence, broken only by the occasional creaks from Sasori's puppet armor. Their goal was clear: The Hidden Sand village, where their target, Kazekage Gaara, would be waiting for them, unaware just who it was that had been sent after him. Sasori would've smiled if he cared enough to. Since joining Akatsuki, his abilities had been put to good use hunting down powerful Jinchuriki targets, as well as for other various missions, including assassination, theft, and in one memorable case, destroying a nation. Sasori smiled at _that_ memory. If only he had the clearance to repeat it with Sand. It had been his home, once, but even then, Sasori knew it was a worthless village, full of traditionalists and lesser puppeteers, trying their hand at an art Sasori had perfected in his childhood. It was doubtful anyone in the village would be really missed, with the exception of its reportedly-softhearted Kazekage. Apparently, this "Gaara" had friends in the Leaf Village, including one of Akatsuki's later targets, a boy named Naruto.

Sasori stopped moving as a realization hit him. Deidara continued a bit before stopping as well, turning to Sasori. "Master Sasori? What is it? Is there an enemy here, hm?"

"No, but a thought does occur to me. If our target is friends with another target... couldn't we use that? We could kill two birds with one stone, so to speak."

"What're you saying? We use the Kazekage as bait to draw out this other target, hm?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. I realize the Uzumaki boy is supposed to be Itachi and Kisame's target, but it seems to me that we could capture him just as easily now, if not moreso, given their failure in capturing the boy in their last attempt."

"That sounds reasonable, I guess, but how would we do that without getting other people involved, hm? If we just announce that we have the Kazekage, pretty much all of Sand and probably Leaf will gang up on us, hm."

"Easy. We leave a 'breadcrumb trail' to where we are. We keep it faint enough that they don't send an army, but obvious enough to lure out the target. Kisame's data tells us the kid is headstrong and impulsive, which is perfect for a trap like ours."

"And what about our boss? Won't he be a bit upset if we break the sequence, hm?"

"We don't necessarily have to break sequence. We just keep him alive but as a prisoner until we need him."

"Hm. It makes sense to me, but something's telling me this is gonna go horribly wrong, Master Sasori."

"Relax. I have a plan."


End file.
